Kotsay's value as Padres' wiseman

San Diego Padres' Mark Kotsay, right, high-fives with Everth Cabrera after scoring against the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning of a baseball game on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in San Diego. Kotsay scored on a infield ground-out by Cameron Maybin. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
— AP

San Diego Padres' Mark Kotsay, right, high-fives with Everth Cabrera after scoring against the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning of a baseball game on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in San Diego. Kotsay scored on a infield ground-out by Cameron Maybin. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
/ AP

PEORIA, Ariz.  The basket sat next to Mark Kotsay’s locker on the first day of spring training, a gift from friends making light of his advanced age.

Duct tape, WD-40, bandages, that sort of thing.

Kotsay is 37! Gasp!

He was asked what is different now than when he was 30. Without hesitation, he replied, “The first five steps out of bed.”

Only those of us who sometimes actually feel sitting still for an extended period of time can grasp that truth. And us geezers can appreciate, too, lending a little levity to the challenges of bodily changes.

But everyone should take this very seriously: Mark Kotsay is crucial to the Padres’ success in 2013. And beyond.

If all goes to plan, the utility outfielder won’t have more than 175 plate appearances this year. If he has three dozen hits, it will mean he was healthy all year. A half-dozen homers would be one more than he had the past two seasons combined. A dozen RBI would be two fewer than he had last year.

As he said of his career, now entering its 17th year: “My accomplishments aren’t going to be posted on any wall.”

OK, but maybe they should be. Not in Cooperstown, but somewhere they value guys who played the game right and made teams better to be on.

There just might not be enough to say about Kotsay simply being there -- at the locker right by the hallway every player passes several times a day, in the dugout, in the dining room, on the plane.

The Padres have aged. Perhaps not like a worthy bottle of Bordeaux or a mature chunk of Gouda just yet, but certainly refined by working through the struggles of early 2012.

Chase Headley has become the man, Yonder Alonso is more of a man and Cameron Maybin learned enough about himself to maybe once again have us saying “Whoa, man!”

And let’s not forget Bud Black’s consistent and calming influence, nor the input from Darren Balsley and the rest of the coaching staff.

But Kotsay remains the Padres’ peer Yoda.

With Jedd Gyorko, Yasmani Grandal, Alonso and Maybin likely to form the nucleus of this team going forward, with all of them being 26 or younger, the influence Kotsay wields will be felt here for some time.

“He’s a great sounding board, a great resource for players,” Black said. “He’s a great resource for me, a great resource for our coaches ... There is always a leadership figure (that is) a coach or manager, and there is message to be sent that way. But a lot of times, a greater message is sent from a teammate ... If you have those type of people in your organization, it’s advantageous. A lot of good teams that win, they always have that good veteran.”

Carlos Quentin is not conversational, but he can be one of those guys.

Kotsay definitely is one of those guys, having been the only voice of experience around that could tell his youthful teammates that last April and May would pass.

When he talks, he does so with the credential of having played professional baseball in three decades.

When Kotsay made his major league debut on July 11, 1997, Headley was about a month from starting high school. There are no more than a dozen guys currently on MLB rosters to have played more than Kotsay’s 16 seasons. Fewer than 300 players in the history of the game have played more than 17 seasons.

Kotsay is the only Padres player left to have played with Tony Gwynn. Heck, he’s one of four remaining Padres to have played with Trevor Hoffman.

He has shared a clubhouse with Bobby Bonilla, Chipper Jones, Rickey Henderson, Jason Varitek and so many others.

As in no other sport, veterans in baseball pass on a respect for the game they play.

Few are more qualified for this responsibility than Kotsay.

The difference between those that make it to the majors and those whose path ends in Triple-A is often manifest above the shoulders, same as the biggest difference between playing seven years and 17.

There is a physical element, absolutely. Kotsay can’t play numerous games in a row anymore, but he still hit .259 in 143 at-bats last year, including .271 in 48 at-bats as a pinch-hitter.

Moreover, though, think about the fortitude of a man still playing in 2013, four years after the second of two back surgeries and 3½ years after having essentially been told his usefulness as a ballplayer had expired.

Said Black: “There is a mental component that is strongly related to passing the test of time.”